Dental appliance



Sept. 4, 1951 G. MORAN DENTAL APPLIANCE Filed Aug. 27, 1948 gmwm Hugh 6170mm ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DENTAL APPLIANCE Hugh G. Moran, St. Louis, Mo. Application August 27, 1943, Serial No. 46,475

2 Claims. (01. ss 174) This invention relates to a dental appliance and the primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind to facilitate the makin of dentures in a manner to restore substantially the normal aspect of the face.

It is also an object of this invention to provide means whereby the proper vertical level of the mandible may be determined in edentulous mouths and in a manner whereby artificial dentures may be made to function more efliciently and preserve the harmonious vertical contour of the face.

With the condyles of themandible seated in their fossae, the jaws are in normal functional vertical relation when the inclined plane of the body of the mandible is parallel with the inclined plane of the maxilla from the head of the condyle to-the ala of the nose. It is an object of the invention to provide a device to determine their size, form, length or breadth, (with the ex ception of major deformities) that it is not changed by the growth, development, or atrophy. of the skeletal frame of the face, but from a physiological' standpoint remains constant through life; that the proportion of the upper two-thirds of this pattern is maintained by the integral bones of the skeletal frame of the cranium and face, while from a functional viewpoint the proportion of the lower one-third is supported in large'meas ure by the normal dentition. Consequently, this lower proportion may be altered by the loss, abrasion or other abnormalities of the natural dentition, resulting in a diminution of that proportion, which shortens the vertical dimension of the face, and adversely affects its normal harmonious contour, gives rise to a malposition of the condyles in the tempro-mandibular fossae, upsets the muscular balance of the dental mechanism, changes the angle at which the mandible norm-ally approaches the maxilla, and reverses the direction of force normally exerted by the mandible against the maxilla, all of which impair the maintenance ,of health, function, comfort and facial expression.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device to determine such relationship in the completion of a trial plate.

20 mined longitudinal curvature.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved dental appliance whereby certain advantages are at- 5 tained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of a device embodying the invention and diagrammatically shown applied to the face, with different positions of the mandible.-

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, l denotes a plate possessing a certain amount of flexibility but normally maintaining a predeter- In the present embodiment of the invention, this plate I is of a shape substantially to conform to the contour of the face. The apex portion of the plate I is provided with an opening 2 which is adapted to be placed upon the head of a condyle of a mandible.

The opposite end portion of the plate I is shown as stepped, the outermost portion 3 determining the bottom of the device when in use.

Disposed lengthwise of the plate I, are the slots 4 and 5 diverging from the opening 2 in the apex portion of the plate I. The slots are on a relative angle of approximately thirty (30) degrees. Substantially midway of the slots 4 and 5 is a third slot 6 also disposed lengthwise of the plate I.

overlying the top slot 4 is the inner portion of an elongated flexible arm 1. This arm 1 is snugly but freely disposed through a slot 8 closely adjacent to the forward end of the plate I. The rear portion of the arm I is disposed over the outer face of the plate I and carried by said rear portion of the arm I is a headed member 9, the shank a of which being freely disposed through the slot 4 with the head I) underlying the plate I and of a diameter greater than the width of the slot 4.

Threading upon the free end portion of the shank a is a holding nut ill which coacts with the outer face of the arm I. By required adjustmentof the nut ID, the frictional resistance to the movement of the arm 1 may be regulated to assure the maintenance of the arms 1 in a selected endwise adjustment.

The outer extremity of the arm I, is reduced in width to provide a pointed end H, said reduced portion [2 being of such length to permit the desired endwise adjustment of the arm "I, to bring I the pointed end i l to the ala of the nose when the placed on the edentulous ridges.

tion holding means hereinbefore described in as-- sociation with the arm I.

The outer portion Id of the arm I l is alsotransversely reduced to provide pointed end I! adapted to register with the point of the chin when the opening 2 of the plate I is on the head of the condyle of the mandible. This pointed end is also on a plane radial to the opening 2 and the pointed end of the arm I and the pointed end of the arm'liare spaced thirty (30") degrees on a circle of which the Opening '2 is the axis.

The arm I l is snugly but freely disposed through a guide slot I8 suitably provided at the forward portion of the plate I.

O'verlying the outer face of the plate I, and the forward portion of the slot e is a third elongated flexible arm It also snugly but freely disposed through a slot 26 in the forward portion of the plate I. The arm I9 carries a tensioning means 11. similar to that of the arms I and It for selectively holding th :arm I 9 in endwise adjustment. The outer end portion 2] is also transversely reduced in width to provide a pointed end 22 in a plane radial to the opening 2 of the plate. The pointed end 22 is adapted to be brought into register with the occlusion line of the maxillary teeth at the vertical line of the face as determined .by the plane between the ala of the nose and the point of the chin.

In the use of the device, the same is applied to the right side of the face of the patient after the trial plate with the bite runs attached have been The device is pressed'as closely as possible against the skeletal frame of the face with the opening 2 overlying the head of the condyle of the mandible. The inherent flexibility of the plate I will permit the same to closely conform to the contour of the face. The arm I is then adjusted endwise until the pointed end I I is accurately positioned at the ala of the nose and at the vertical "center of the face.

After the selected'adjustment of the arm 1, the intermediate arm I 9 is adjusted, endwise to bring the pointed end v22 thereof to the vertical center of the face. .By this adjustment the pointed end 22 will indicate the occlusional plane of the anterior teeth. The bite rim of the upper trial plate will then be builtup or reduced as may be necessary to bring the plane of said bite rim into the plane determined by the pointed end 22 of the arm I9.

After the plane 'of the bite rim of the upper trial plate has been determined, the arm I4 is endwise adjusted to bring the pointed end I! thereof to the vertical center-line of the face. .If the height of the bite rim of the lower trial plate is correct, the pointed'end I! wil register with the point of the chin, as shown at a: in Figure -I of the drawings, when the mandible is closed. In the event the bit should be too high, when the mandible is closed, the pointed end ll will be above the center point of the chin, as :at .y, in Figure .l, and should such rim be too low, the pointed end II will be'below the point of the chin.

height of the bite rim until the pointed end, I! registers with the point of the chin which indicates the correct level of the mandible.

The correctness of the device as herein disclosed is due to the fact that the length of the human face, at the vertical center from the hair line to the point of the chin, when the mandible is in normal vertical functional position is ninety degreeswith respect to the heads of the condyles of the mandible. The length from the ala of the nose to the center of the chin is one third of such major center line or thirty (30) degrees with respect to the heads of the condyles of the mandible. The normal occlusal plane of the anterior teeth is fifteen (15) degrees below the a-la of the nose with respect to the heads of the condyles. Obviously the pointed end 22 of the arm I9 is spaced 15 with respect to the pointed end II of the arm I.

Disposed through the opening 2, of the plate I, is atubular member 23 which constitutes afpivr otal mounting for an end portion of a relatively short straight arm 24. Secured as at 25, to this arm 24, for longitudinal adjustment lengthwise thereof, is a second straight arm 26. This outer extremity of this arm 26 is continued by an elon gated straight arm 21 disposed outwardly'on an angle of one hundred twenty degrees with respect to the arm 25. These arms 2-4, '26 and 21 possess a certain degree of flexibility.

To assure the correctness of the arms 1, 14 and IB while the plate I is still in position on the face with the opening 2 of the plate I overth-e head of the condyle of the mandible, the arm 26 is lengthwise adjusted along the arm '26, to bring the heel point 28 at the juncture of the arms 26 and 21 to the point of the angle of the mandible. If the arms I, I4 and I9 have been set-or adjusted, the arm 21 will be parallel with the top arm I.

The approved trial plates while in the oral cavity are locked together for transfer to the me chanical articulator.

It is to be particularly pointed out that the opening 2 of the plate! constitutes an index to assure the proper placement of the plate I upon the face of the patient. V i

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a dental appliance constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

I claim:

1. In a dental appliance of scribed, a flexible plate having a reduced end portion provided with an aperture and a flared outer end portion having its end edge formed to provide spaced, angularly disposed, stepped portions, flexible arms mounted endwise on said plate and extending outwardly of said stepped portions in substantial alignment with the said aperture, an eyelet mounted in the said aperture, a relatively short arm having one end engaged with said eyelet for pivotal'movements relative to said plate and dependingtherefromand an angled flexible arm having a relatively short end portion connected endwise with said short arm and .a longer end portion extending forwardly below said plate and the lowermost of the first arms, said plate being adapted to be placed against a side of the face with the said-eyelet centered over a condyle of the mandible and the outer ends of the first arms terminating in the vertical cen- The dentist can either decrease or increase the 75 ter of the. face, h e s d end f t e ppe character. de- I most arm at the ala of themes, the like end or the intermediate arm in the occlusal plane of the teeth, and the like end of the lower arm'at the center of the chin, the free end of the longer portion of the angled arm at the approximate point of the chin.

2. The appliance as defined in claim 1, with means for adjusting the first arms endwise on said plate, one independently of the other, and other means for adjusting the short end portion of the said angled arm endwise on said short arm, whereby the outer ends of all of said arms may be accurately aligned in the plane of the vertical center of the face.

HUGH G. MORAN.

REFERENCES CITED The iollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,161,504 Miller Nov. 23, 1915 1,738,143 Hickok Dec. 3, 1929 1,804,567 Pray May 12, 1931 2,125,809 Puckett Aug. 2, 1938 2,475,706 Jamieson July 12, 1949 2,491,136 Salzmann Dec. 13, 1949 

